Makes sense to give senior citizens a decent cost of living increase in their social security checks when EVERYTHING has gone up too but...they don't do that! A 1.7% increase when inflation (food, shelter, heat) have gone up outrageously just does not cut it. That's what the taxpayers need: more taxes at this point in time!
You've got that right. Way back when Rockefeller was governor of NY ...they decided they would add a toll road (I 90) but the condition was that the tolls would be repealed once the thruway was finished! Guess what? That thruway has been finished for decades yet the tolls are still here and still increasing!
Right. I'm saying that it is even easier to implement your idea in states that already require stickers of some sort (like California). In those states, you don't even need a new sticker. Just increase the fee for the sticker that exists. It would literally cost nothing to implement.
This has worked so well in California. They pay the highest gas prices in America, and the only freeways with speed bumps. The American people will again be screwed over by government collecting taxes for something that never materializes
Oh yeah, that is the same government lie of adding a temporary 1/4 % to sales taxes to accomplish some infrastructure, and guess what, that sales tax increase never ever goes away. Gruber was right, Americans are stupid
the real question is how do we fund the repairs of interstate highways for its repairs and maintenance. To me, there are three options: 1. Increase the gas tax. This will have a greater impact on low and middle income taxpayers than upper inocme taxpayers. The funding will increase and the Highway trust fund will become solvent again. 2. We can change the method from a gas tax to a use tax. This will be regardless of how the car is made. The more you use in interstate highway, the more you pay. 3. Eliminate the gas tax and have the interstate highway funded by income ax receipts. This may require to increase the marginal tax rate to fund the repairs. Congress can use its oversight authority to prioritize which projects get funded and by how much. Contract bidding processes may require an overhaul to determine the lowest cost will be accepted. Hybrid and electric cars are already assessed at the local level thorugh the car registratino fees and vehicle impsection stickeers. This money can be used to help with local street repairs and maintenace, if allowed by law. A national assessment will not work IMO.
Thats because our government is made up of liars cheats and thieves. Its not just New York, its all over the country. The San Diego bridge was the exact same way, its been paid off for decades, and the toll booths still remain.
I would like to see the data on the current tax. Are the funds really being used to keep up the interstate highways? If we're truly using all the gas tax money now to keep it up, as the law was written, I would support and increase in the tax. We're doing a terrible job at it at present.
Shovel ready jobs anyone? Just another scam by the establishment politicians to take more and more and more from the common citizen.
first on the list for new congress stop "earmarking" funds. You get x in dollars from the productive people, simply prioritize expenditures and some things will get cut along with personnel no more "earmarking" and money is then locked only to that item
Great idea on the state level. No mechanism to do this on the fed level. - - - Updated - - - Then raise the gas tax the same as SS is raised.
simpler to collect than from individual pump stations. those Birkenstock wearing folks who drive hybrids and electric vehicles must pay their fair share
Trying to stop earmarks is like trying to stop a tank with a motorcycle. It has been promised before to stop the earmaks, like 1994, 2001, 2015, but it won't stop. Both Democrats and Republicans have made earmarks so that they can tell their constituents, "here are the jobs I brought to you." However, even if we stop all earmarks, it still does not change the fact that the funds for the highway patrol will still run out, just a litte, very litte, later than expected. That being said, the question still remains, how do we fund the projects within the Highway Trust Fund. That still has not been answered in this entire thread. so far.
Again, I understand the need for repairing/replacing/ improving our infrastructure. I doubt anyone doesn't. However, to simply state the fuel tax needs to be raised because it hasn't kept pace with inflation without examining how our money is currently being spending isn't the most responsible approach, IMO. And, I would like to know the specific reason the nearly $1trillion stimulus, which Obama said was for the purpose of funding infrastructure projects (shovel ready one's), didn't. But that aside, examining the current funding (specifically the money collects from the fuel tax) practices applied toward infrastructure is something any tax payer should demand before supporting a tax increase.
When you think about it...what American does not require local, state and federal road systems? There are no grocery stores if trucks cannot use a road system to make deliveries. There are no government services without a road system. The ambulance and fire truck are worthless without a road system. A person who does not own a vehicle but is using public transportation requires a road system...and on and on and on. If 99.999% of all Americans are dependent on local, state and federal road systems, then what's the rationale behind a gasoline tax? Another fuel tax is on aviation which is supposed to fund all airport operations and again what percentage of Americans do our air travel services support? One of the problems funding our roads and airports, etc. IMO is the enormous costs we see today! When the government lets a $500 million contract to expand a freeway segment, will we ever know how efficient this spending might be? In the Bay Area, voters approved something like $2 billion to replace the Bay Bridge and it ended up costing voters $7 billion...was this efficient spending? If the costs are out of control, and increasing, then we're just chasing our tails and will never be able to afford the bare essentials...
A politician is incentivized by the voter to bring home the bacon! A voter will agree to cut expenses everywhere but not those who impact that voter. Budgets and taxation in their simplest form are nothing but math...$X of budget require $X of tax revenue. Ignoring emergency situations, each government makes a conscious choice to either balance their budgets or allow a surplus/deficit. One does not need to be a CPA in order to grasp that if something costs $X then it requires $X to procure...when this is violated it's simply politics in it's finest moment. Americans and politicians have racked up $17 trillion in debt and have deficit spending for years to come...we're probably at $20+ trillion by 2020! News flash...we're all out of control...
Post after post of absolute crap. Here's the crux that nobody's discussing. Federal fuel taxes were enacted in order to build and maintain the interstate highway system. Anyone can see the roads and bridges are aging and falling apart from the huge number of vehicles using them on a daily basis. Now that the price of fuel is falling, the taxes derived from sale of that fuel is also decreasing. It appears some politicians feel it is necessary to increase those taxes in order to pay for repair and maintenance. The question should be - just how much of the funds already derived from this is actually being used to build and maintain the system? How much is going to "administrative overhead" and not directly to the required and mandated usage? How much is going to pay off politicians? And general waste? THOSE should be the questions.
pssst, Mr knife, the fed gas tax, along with almost all state gas taxes are a fixed, per-gallon rate. Allow me to clarify 10 gallons of gas at $1 per gallon will yield X in tax 10 gallons of gas at $5 per gallon will still yield x in tax
it's called priorities and fiduciary duties If I set aside $5,000 for vacation this year, then lost my business and needed to buy food, I would use the $5,000 vaca fund because eating is a priority. I can't earmark the money only for vacation it's high time we hold DC accountable. They take in plenty of tax money; they have a spending problem
Logic would suggest federal, state and municipality revenue gleaned from gasoline taxes is actually rising due to lower fuel prices. The immutable laws of economics dictate that the cheaper a consumable becomes, it becomes accessible to more people. Lower fuel prices also means more people are driving their cars for pleasure. Combining increased accessibility with increased driving leads to more gallons being consumed, and, as taxes are affixed on a per-gallon basis.... Additionally, the savings at the pump translates to increased spending in other segments of the economy, which translates to increased business, and increased demand for employees...who will pay income, payroll and excise taxes, spend their earnings in the economy.... and buy more gallons of gasoline. rinse repeat. FURTHER, everything you buy is delivered by way of a fuel consuming machine. EVERYTHING. lower shipping costs translate to cheaper prices at the register. which, again, translates to more money being made available to the broader economy. Politicians lie awake nights thinking up ways to pick your pocket. They lie awake nights devising ways to replace revenue they've already fraudulently redirected to their myriad vote buying schemes. Guillotines.
Ayuh,.... 'n logically, with lower prices, the American public will be drivin' more, which will Increase the taxes collected at the pump,...... The Best reason yet, Not to raise the tax rate,...
What??? Gasoline taxes are FIXED....they are applied on a PER GALLON basis, NOT a percentage of final sale. 20 gallons of gasoline taxed at 50 cents per gallon means $10.00 in revenue. Period. Full stop. jebus.
